President Joe Biden rallies Americans in a speech marking the anniversary of the Coronavirus pandemic.

In his first Presidential address to the nation, Biden spoke passionately about the devastation and suffering, noting the US death toll of 530,727: “While it was different for everyone, we all lost something.”

He spoke of the Government negligence that cost lives, “We were hit with a virus that was met with silence and spread unchecked. Denials for days, weeks, then months that led to more deaths, more infections, more stress and more loneliness.”

But the President also emphasized “hope and the possibilities”:

Finding light in the darkness is a very American thing to do. In fact, it may be the most American thing we do, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve seen frontline and essential workers risking their lives, sometimes losing them, to save and help others. Researchers and scientists racing for a vaccine. And so many of you, as Hemingway wrote, being strong in all the broken places.

Biden spoke hours after signing the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, confronting Coronavirus and its effects, in the most significant anti-poverty initiative since the 1960s.

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He built on that for a vision of a return to normal life with “July 4th with your loved ones [as] the goal”:

We know what we need to do to beat this virus. Tell the truth, follow the scientists and the science. Work together, put trust and faith in our government to fulfill its most important function, which is protecting the American people.

The President has pledged supplies for vaccinations of all American adults by the end of May, and he announced on Thursday that the Administration has purchased another 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson version.

Biden noted that, in his first 50 days in office, the percentage of over-65 Americans with a first vaccination has risen from 8% to 65%. For over-75s, the increase is from 14% to more than 70%.

He called for “national unity” in adherence to containment measures, “Unity is what we do together as fellow Americans, because if we don’t stay vigilant and the conditions change, then we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track.”

Then the President concluded:

I promise you, we’ll come out stronger with a renewed faith in ourselves, a renewed commitment to one another, to our communities, and to our country. This is the United States of America. There’s nothing, nothing — from the bottom of my heart I believe this — there’s nothing we can’t do when we do it together.